Various types of equipment to handle coins are known including devices which include a disk. For example, coin hopper equipment is known which accommodates coins of an identical kind with loose loading conditions, and turns a disk and compulsorily sends out the coin one by one. This type coin hopper is disclosed, for example, in the Japanese Patent Application 2-152852 assigned to the assignee of this invention (Japanese Patent Application 2-152852 has been designated Japanese Patent Application 6-44305 and also Japanese Patent Application 2-152852 corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,094).
FIGS. 9 and 10 and 11 roughly show generally features from the prior art. The operation of such coin hopper equipment is summarily explained here.
When an electric motor (not shown) in the hopper equipment is driven, a turn axis 12 at the center is rotated. When the turn axis 12 is rotated, a disk 2 for coin distribution (a deep plate shaped element) is turned to the clockwise direction. Further, the coin distributing disk 2 which is turned to the clockwise direction is rotated at the inside bottom of tank 1 with rough pan shape. By the turn of this disk 2, coins in the dram-shaped disk 2 are agitated.
The coins are agitated by the protruding elements 6, which are formed at the inside surrounding wall 4 of disk 2. Thus, the coins in disk 2 fall into a plurality of holes 5 for coin receipt. These holes 5 are opened at the bottom of disk 2 and in the surrounding direction. The coin, which passed into this receiving hole 5 is moved in a sliding manner on the surface of a square support board 11 by the disk 2. As a result, the lowest position coin which slides is compulsorily sent out to a vent 23 providing the coin outlet. This is shown at the left side of FIG. 9.
The lowest position coin is moved by a coin sending nail (not shown) which is formed as a slender member and at the underside of disk 2. The moved lowest position coin is guided, for example, firstly by a guiding board 15 on the surface of support board 11. Then, for example, the coin is guided next by a flange surrounding wall 22 for installing the tank 1 and is slipped to the vent 23. The coin which is moved by the sending nail 13 (See FIG. 11) is guided by the guiding board 15 and flange surrounding wall 22 of tank 1.
The guided coin is further moved and is guided toward the coin vent 23 by the flange surrounding wall 22 and a vent guiding part 17. Then, finally, the coin is guided by the vent guiding part 17, a fixed side roller 24 and a mobile side roller 26 and is distributed out from the vent 23.